The idea of making a move tends to trigger anxious thoughts, making the change seem difficult and overwhelming.
While it’s true that moving is a somewhat tedious process, if you prepare carefully for everything that needs doing and looking after, you’ll be able to face it and come out on top.
In these lines we aim to offer you some very useful tips for handling the situations ahead.
Things you shouldn’t do
When planning your move, you may think of a way to cut corners, or make it faster or cheaper. Our best advice is not to give in to temptation.
Turning to seemingly quick or cheap solutions, without thinking them through, usually ends in disaster. The following situations are a few examples.
A friend’s favor
It’s very common that, when you mention you want to move, a friend offers to call an acquaintance who has a truck or works for a company, and who can “sort out” the process for a very affordable price.
Experience tells us that this offer doesn’t come through, or only halfway. At the last minute the friend doesn’t show up, or has another half-finished job to wrap up.
You trusted them and stopped looking for companies based on that offer, and by the end of the process everything gets complicated.
It’s always a better idea to look for a serious company, one that doesn’t see your move as a favor but as a business it must take care of and carry out in exchange for fair pay.
Hiring the best company and paying a fair price guarantees a good result, with no nasty surprises.
Moving plants
If you have lots of plants in various sizes, we should warn you that most removals companies don’t guarantee their transport, given how sensitive they are.
The advice is to clean them up, trimming the longest branches and removing any dirt, so that you yourself can carry them.
Placing them in plastic boxes, well wedged so they don’t shift or tip over, and carrying them in the boot of your vehicle, can be the best option.
Leaving utilities until the last minute
The paperwork to activate essential utilities at the new house should be done in advance and, ideally, have the service start a few days before you arrive.
Last-minute hitches can always come up, and it’s easier to sort them out before you need the utilities.
Arriving at a home with no electricity, water or phone service can be sheer torture.
Setting up the stove and fridge involves a process that, while not too complicated, not everyone knows how to do. Contact the technician who will handle it so they can come as soon as possible.
To get by that day, bring some fast food and a portable cooler to help you out.
Another important thing with utilities is to give notice that you’re leaving the old home, so the service there is stopped and you don’t pile up debt for a service you’re not using.
Beloved pets
Taking your animals along on moving day can be quite a challenge, for you and for them too.
The loading and unloading process and the presence of strangers coming and going is very hard on them.
You can plan to leave your pet at the home of a friend the animal knows, with its bed and toys, while the move takes place. Then you pick it up in your car, so the reunion feels calmer and more familiar.
If that’s not possible, you can try keeping it in a closed room while the truck is loaded, and pick it up last, ideally in a special carrier, keeping it by your side.
That way they get less stressed by the change. Make sure you have a space ready for your pet in the new house, and when you arrive, leave it in that room while the rest of your things are unloaded.
These matters are the source of last-minute moving problems. It’s wise to plan for them in advance to avoid last-minute stress.
Remember that taking care of the details will help your move end successfully so you can enjoy your change of home. At Mudanzas Trallero we help you achieve that in Barcelona and Madrid: ask us for a no-obligation quote.
